In today’s inaugural episode of May the Record Reflect, we introduce you to NITA’s new podcast by talking to Annie Deets, one of NITA’s 100+ hour volunteers for 2018. Volunteerism is the theme for this season of the podcast because this week is the National Celebration of Pro Bono, an annual event that brings attention to the valuable pro bono work by lawyers, paralegals, and law students in the U.S., whether it’s to recognize individual volunteers or to draw awareness to opportunities for service in our profession.

Annie Deets works for the Law Office of the Public Defender in DeKalb County, Georgia, where she handles some of Atlanta’s highest-profile criminal cases as part of the Behavioral Health Division. During her career, she has also represented victims of domestic violence as a Henry County prosecutor, as well as handled civil matters for indigent populations in rural Georgia. Annie donated over a hundred hours in teaching time to NITA over the past year and was selected as one of NITA’s NextGen faculty in 2018.  

Topics

1:34 Why I volunteer for NITA 
4:23 The difference I think public service makes
5:21 My public service experiences 
7:56 Signature “softball” 

Quote
“I think our country right now is really in this kind of struggle, this time of turmoil and kind of searching for our soul, and what do we stand for and what do we want to represent. . . . Public service, I think, in times like this, it matters now more than ever, because if we’re not equipping people with the skills they need to fight these really hard battles on the front line, then nobody’s going to be there to fight them.” Annie Deets

Recommended Resources
Annie Deets on LinkedIn
Atlanta Legal Aid – NITA Public Service Program
Legal Aid Association of California – NITA Public Service Program
Introducing NITA’s 2018 Next Generation Faculty Members
Annie Deets on women and confidence

Upcoming Teaching Engagements
Deposition Skills: Atlanta
Deposition Skills: Nashville